Thanks for signing up to be part of Night to Shine this Friday at the Cox Business Convention Center. Below you will find your personalized guide to the night for you serving. We will have coat check available. This year we will be doing virtual training with the additional training being done on site. Please pay careful attention to your meeting time as you will need to give yourself time to park and enter the building. There are also helpful reminders within the video posted below.
Attire: Business Casual (Feel free to wear formal if you want, but not required)
There are nearly 10,000 parking spaces within a short walk of our facility: The City of Tulsa utilizes the Park Mobile app to pay for metered street parking downtown during business hours, and these parking spaces are free after 5:00pm each day. The Civic Center Parkade located at 3rd and Houston Streets, which is owned and operated by American Parking, is connected to our facility by covered walkway; there are 1,395 spaces available in the Parkade and they are available for $5-$10 per car, per day depending on other downtown events. There are several private lots which may open up for public parking during events at their own rates.
People First Language
We want our guests to know they are the most valuable and important people in the room. People first language aims to avoid perceived and subconscious dehumanization when discussing people with disabilities.
Avoid these terms/phrases
Retarded
Crippled
Deaf and Dumb
Mentally Different
Wheelchair-bound
Diseased
Emotionally Disturbed
Slow
Infirmed
Unfortunate
“Suffers from”
“Victim of”
Rephrasing
Instead of
“a disabled person,” say “a person with disabilities”
Instead of
“a special needs person,” say “a person with special needs”
Instead of
“autistic person,” say “a person with autism”
The key thing to remember is to put the person first. They are not their disability; they are first and foremost a child of God, and a person with feelings and emotions just like you.
GENERAL TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING
When assisting a person with a disability, wait until your help is accepted and then ask how you can best assist them.
Address them just as you would any other person.
It is acceptable to offer a handshake during introductions even if the other person has limited mobility in their hand or an artificial limb.
Do not alter your voice or speak in a simplified, childish manner.
If an interpreter is present, speak directly to the person and not their interpreter.
Do not lean on anyone’s wheelchair.
If the person with whom you are speaking has a visual disability, make sure you identify yourself and any people who may be accompanying you.
Be patient if the person with whom you are speaking has trouble understanding you.
Do not get frustrated or raise your voice in an unpleasant way.
PREVENTING & HANDLING AWKWARD OR UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS
If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, do not be afraid to ask for help.
Some signs of overstimulation include: yelling, screaming, crying, extreme fidgeting, fearful looks and/or aggressive behavior. If this happens, redirect them to a quieter location and if needed, find your guest’s chaperone/guardian.
Maintain your composure and speak kindly at all times.
Never go off alone with one of the guests.
Make sure you maintain physical boundaries and don’t in any way encourage a guest to view you as their boyfriend/girlfriend.
